[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3717 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3717

 To require the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and 
 Information to submit to Congress a plan for the modernization of the 
 information technology systems of the National Telecommunications and 
          Information Administration, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 13, 2020

   Mr. Wicker (for himself, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Inhofe, and Mr. Reed) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
           Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and 
 Information to submit to Congress a plan for the modernization of the 
 information technology systems of the National Telecommunications and 
          Information Administration, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Spectrum IT Modernization Act of 
2020''.

SEC. 2. MODERNIZATION EFFORT.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) the term ``Assistant Secretary'' means the Assistant 
        Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information;
            (2) the term ``covered agency''--
                    (A) means any Federal entity that the Assistant 
                Secretary determines is appropriate; and
                    (B) includes the Department of Defense;
            (3) the term ``Federal entity'' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 113(l) of the National Telecommunications and 
        Information Administration Organization Act (47 U.S.C. 923(l));
            (4) the term ``Federal spectrum'' means frequencies 
        assigned on a primary basis to a covered agency;
            (5) the term ``infrastructure'' means information 
        technology systems and information technologies, tools, and 
        databases; and
            (6) the term ``NTIA'' means the National Telecommunications 
        and Information Administration.
    (b) Initial Interagency Spectrum Information Technology 
Coordination.--Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Assistant Secretary, in consultation with the Policy and 
Plans Steering Group, shall identify a process to establish goals, 
including parameters to measure the achievement of those goals, for the 
modernization of the infrastructure of covered agencies relating to 
managing the use of Federal spectrum by those agencies, which shall 
include--
            (1) the standardization of data inputs, modeling 
        algorithms, modeling and simulation processes, analysis tools 
        with respect to Federal spectrum, assumptions, and any other 
        tool to ensure interoperability and functionality with respect 
        to that infrastructure;
            (2) other potential innovative technological capabilities 
        with respect to that infrastructure, including cloud-based 
        databases, artificial intelligence technologies, automation, 
        and improved modeling and simulation capabilities;
            (3) ways to improve the management of covered agencies' use 
        of Federal spectrum through that infrastructure, including by--
                    (A) increasing the efficiency of that 
                infrastructure;
                    (B) addressing validation of usage with respect to 
                that infrastructure;
                    (C) increasing the accuracy of that infrastructure;
                    (D) validating models used by that infrastructure; 
                and
                    (E) monitoring and enforcing requirements that are 
                imposed on covered agencies with respect to the use of 
                Federal spectrum by covered agencies;
            (4) ways to improve the ability of covered agencies to meet 
        mission requirements in congested environments with respect to 
        Federal spectrum, including as part of automated adjustments to 
        operations based on changing conditions in those environments;
            (5) the creation of a time-based automated mechanism--
                    (A) to share Federal spectrum between covered 
                agencies to collaboratively and dynamically increase 
                access to Federal spectrum by those agencies; and
                    (B) that could be scaled across Federal spectrum; 
                and
            (6) the collaboration between covered agencies necessary to 
        ensure the interoperability of Federal spectrum.
    (c) Spectrum Information Technology Modernization.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 240 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary shall submit to 
        Congress a report that contains the plan of the NTIA to 
        modernize and automate the infrastructure of the NTIA relating 
        to managing the use of Federal spectrum by covered agencies so 
        as to more efficiently manage that use.
            (2) Contents.--The report required under paragraph (1) 
        shall include--
                    (A) an assessment of the current, as of the date on 
                which the report is submitted, infrastructure of the 
                NTIA described in that paragraph;
                    (B) an acquisition strategy for the modernized 
                infrastructure of the NTIA described in that paragraph, 
                including how that modernized infrastructure will 
                enable covered agencies to be more efficient and 
                effective in the use of Federal spectrum;
                    (C) a timeline for the implementation of the 
                modernization efforts described in that paragraph;
                    (D) plans detailing how the modernized 
                infrastructure of the NTIA described in that paragraph 
                will--
                            (i) enhance the security and reliability of 
                        that infrastructure so that such infrastructure 
                        satisfies the requirements of the Federal 
                        Information Security Management Act of 2002 
                        (Public Law 107-296; 116 Stat. 2135);
                            (ii) improve data models and analysis tools 
                        to increase the efficiency of the spectrum use 
                        described in that paragraph;
                            (iii) enhance automation and workflows, and 
                        reduce the scope and level of manual effort, in 
                        order to--
                                    (I) administer the management of 
                                the spectrum use described in that 
                                paragraph; and
                                    (II) improve data quality and 
                                processing time; and
                            (iv) improve the timeliness of spectrum 
                        analyses and requests for information, 
                        including requests submitted pursuant to 
                        section 552 of title 5, United States Code;
                    (E) an operations and maintenance plan with respect 
                to the modernized infrastructure of the NTIA described 
                in that paragraph;
                    (F) a strategy for coordination between the covered 
                agencies within the Policy and Plans Steering Group, 
                which shall include--
                            (i) a description of--
                                    (I) those coordination efforts, as 
                                in effect on the date on which the 
                                report is submitted; and
                                    (II) a plan for coordination of 
                                those efforts after the date on which 
                                the report is submitted, including with 
                                respect to the efforts described in 
                                subsection (d);
                            (ii) a plan for standardizing--
                                    (I) electromagnetic spectrum 
                                analysis tools;
                                    (II) modeling and simulation 
                                processes and technologies; and
                                    (III) databases to provide 
                                technical interference assessments that 
                                are usable across the Federal 
                                Government as part of a common spectrum 
                                management infrastructure for covered 
                                agencies; and
                            (iii) a plan for each covered agency to 
                        implement a modernization plan described in 
                        subsection (d)(1) that is tailored to the 
                        particular timeline of the agency;
                    (G) identification of manually intensive processes 
                involved in managing Federal spectrum and proposed 
                enhancements to those processes;
                    (H) metrics to evaluate the success of the 
                modernization efforts described in that paragraph and 
                any similar future efforts; and
                    (I) an estimate of the cost of the modernization 
                efforts described in that paragraph and any future 
                maintenance with respect to the modernized 
                infrastructure of the NTIA described in that paragraph, 
                including the cost of any personnel and equipment 
                relating to that maintenance.
    (d) Interagency Inputs.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the head of each covered agency shall 
        submit to the Assistant Secretary and the Policy and Plans 
        Steering Group a report that describes the plan of the agency 
        to modernize the infrastructure of the agency with respect to 
        the use of Federal spectrum by the agency so that such 
        modernized infrastructure of the agency is interoperable with 
        the modernized infrastructure of the NTIA, as described in 
        subsection (c).
            (2) Contents.--Each report submitted by the head of a 
        covered agency under paragraph (1) shall--
                    (A) include--
                            (i) an assessment of the current, as of the 
                        date on which the report is submitted, 
                        management capabilities of the agency with 
                        respect to the use of frequencies that are 
                        assigned to the agency, which shall include a 
                        description of any challenges faced by the 
                        agency with respect to that management;
                            (ii) a timeline for completion of the 
                        modernization efforts described in that 
                        paragraph;
                            (iii) a description of potential innovative 
                        technological capabilities for the management 
                        of frequencies that are assigned to the agency, 
                        as determined under subsection (b);
                            (iv) identification of agency-specific 
                        requirements or constraints relating to the 
                        infrastructure of the agency;
                            (v) identification of any existing, as of 
                        the date on which the report is submitted, 
                        systems of the agency that are duplicative of 
                        the modernized infrastructure of the NTIA, as 
                        proposed under subsection (c); and
                            (vi) with respect to the report submitted 
                        by the Secretary of Defense--
                                    (I) a strategy for the integration 
                                of systems or the flow of data among 
                                the Armed Forces, the military 
                                departments, the Defense Agencies and 
                                Department of Defense Field Activities, 
                                and other components of the Department 
                                of Defense;
                                    (II) a plan for the implementation 
                                of solutions to the use of Federal 
                                spectrum by the Department of Defense 
                                involving information at multiple 
                                levels of classification; and
                                    (III) a strategy for addressing, 
                                within the modernized infrastructure of 
                                the Department of Defense described in 
                                that paragraph, the exchange of 
                                information between the Department of 
                                Defense and the NTIA in order to 
                                accomplish required processing of all 
                                Department of Defense domestic spectrum 
                                coordination and management activities; 
                                and
                    (B) be submitted in an unclassified format, with a 
                classified annex, as appropriate.
            (3) Notification of congress.--Upon submission of the 
        report required under paragraph (1), the head of each covered 
        agency shall notify Congress that the head of the covered 
        agency has submitted the report.
    (e) GAO Oversight.--The Comptroller General of the United States 
shall--
            (1) not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of 
        this Act, conduct a review of the infrastructure of covered 
        agencies, as that infrastructure exists on the date of 
        enactment of this Act;
            (2) after all of the reports required under subsection (d) 
        have been submitted, conduct oversight of the implementation of 
        the modernization plans submitted by the NTIA and covered 
        agencies under subsections (c) and (d), respectively;
            (3) not later than 1 year after the date on which the 
        Comptroller General begins conducting oversight under paragraph 
        (2), and annually thereafter, submit a report regarding that 
        oversight to--
                    (A) with respect to the implementation of the 
                modernization plan of the Department of Defense, the 
                Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the 
                Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
                Representatives; and
                    (B) with respect to the implementation of the 
                modernization plans of all covered agencies, including 
                the Department of Defense, the Committee on Commerce, 
                Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the 
                Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
                Representatives; and
            (4) provide regular briefings to--
                    (A) with respect to the application of this section 
                to the Department of Defense, the Committee on Armed 
                Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed 
                Services of the House of Representatives; and
                    (B) with respect to the application of this section 
                to all covered agencies, including the Department of 
                Defense, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on 
                Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives.
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